Roger John Williams (August 14, 1893 – February 20, 1988), was an American biochemist. He is known for his work on vitamins and human nutrition. He had leading roles in the discovery of folic acid, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, lipoic acid, and avidin. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1946, and served as the president of the American Chemical Society in 1957. In his later career he spent time writing for a popular audience on the importance of nutrition.
Early life and education
Roger John Williams was born in Ootacamund, India of American parents on August 14, 1893. His family returned to the US when he was two years old, and he grew up in Kansas and California. He attributed his early interest in chemistry to the influence of his brother Robert R. Williams, eight years his senior, who was also a chemist. Robert is remembered for being the first to synthesize thiamine (vitamin B1). Julius Stieglitz was the chairman of the department of chemistry at U Chicago when Roger Williams was a student there, and Williams later described Stieglitz as a major influence upon him in organic chemistry.